Affrunti's PGA return date still uncertain

Published: Wednesday, May 14, 2014 8:19 p.m. CST

Joe Affrunti has worked through injuries before during his professional golf career and so he knows what it's like to wait.

The Crystal Lake native who still holds his PGA Tour card but spent much of last season on the Web.com Tour again finds himself in a holding pattern. Affrunti underwent hip surgery in December and was expected to miss 6-8 months.

When he will return, however, remains uncertain after he recently tweaked his hip while playing and is again sidelined. The hip procedure is the third major surgery Affrunti has undergone during his pro career.

Shoulder surgery forced him to miss more than a year after Affrunti had earned his PGA Tour card for the 2011 season. Affrunti, who also has a surgically repaired wrist, still has eight PGA starts to maintain his tour status under a major medical exemption provided by the tour.

"Not swinging, just healing," Affrunti wrote in a text message Wednesday night. "Rehabs are a battle but (I) will get out of this one better than the last two."

Affrunti played in five PGA Tour events in 2013, making the cut three times and earning $49,615. He also made the cut in six of his 12 Web.com Tour events.